


What if

by TwirlsWrites



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Gen, not really barrisco but close
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-06-01 13:09:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6521029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwirlsWrites/pseuds/TwirlsWrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barry talks to his Dad about friendship, feelings, and alternate earths.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What if

            Henry had just finished laughing at the story of Harry antagonizing the swans at the lake into chasing Cisco when he said, smile still in his voice, “You spend more of your time around Cisco, huh?”

            “Yeah,” Barry said. “I’ve been noticing that too. I feel like I should spend time with other people but, eh, I see them too.”           

            “I had a friend like that,” Henry said, tone fond. “I remember thinking that everything I did would be more fun if they were there too - no matter what it was, or who else I was with.”

            “Really?” Barry asked. “Who?”

            “Your mother of course,” Henry answered - sounding surprised that he had asked.

            Barry choked on his water.

            “Bar? You alright?” Henry asked after a few seconds of heavy coughing on Barry’s end.

            “Yeah,” Barry coughed out. “Yeah no, I’m fine. You just caught me off guard, I was expecting a friend not a spouse.”

            “Your mother and I were friends before we became spouses,” Henry said. Barry could practically see his dad’s patient smile through the phone. “And we were friends _while_ we were spouses.”

            “I know that,” Barry defended. “I just wasn’t thinking like that.”

            “Oh I know,” his dad replied with a soft chuckle. “For you, that category of your brain has always been strictly assigned to Iris West.” Barry was quiet for a moment.

            “What if it’s not though?” he mused quietly.

            “What do you mean?” Henry asked.

            “What it… what it was that time that those parts of my brain moved on from only thinking about Iris like… that.”

            “That’s some new thinking,” Henry said. “What brought this on?”

            “I don’t know,” Barry sighed, scratching an itch on his neck. “Maybe it’s just… Iris and I have known each other for like 20 years now. Maybe if we were going to… figure it out by now, we would have.

            Henry was quiet on the other end of the phone.

            “And… and in Earth 2, they were married right? But Joe hated me, and you were free, mom was alive — “ Barry’s voice cracked and he tok a second to clear his throat before continuing. “I wasn’t taken in by Joe, as a kid. Iris and I didn’t grow up a room apart and maybe the fact that we did here… maybe it means something. Maybe we’re meant to be together just not like that. When she thought I was her Barry, Earth 2 Iris kissed me and it felt weird and it… it wasn’t what I thought.’

            The two fell silent again for a few seconds before Henry spoke.

            “The only one who can tell you how you feel is you, Barry.” He said.

            “Can’t someone else do it?” Barry asked with a slightly forced laugh, “I have no clue what I’m feeling,”

            “Oh Slugger,” his dad said, “It kind of sounds like you do.”

            “Yeah…” Barry muttered. “It does, doesn’t it?” He sighed, tossing his empty water bottle across the lab. “I’m going to go.”

            “Do you want to talk about it some more?” Henry asked. Barry shook his head before remembering that his dad couldn’t see him.

            “Nah,” he said instead. “I need to spend some time on it solo.”

            “Alright,” Henry replied. “But if you need anything…?”

            “I’ll call,” Barry assured him.


End file.
